In a time of chaos and disappointment, there's one exciting thing that Carlsberg were able to do this transfer season - get a lot of talents. Some are more impressive than others, and they came at a high cost. But with any luck, they'll be valuable to the team in the future, in one way or another.
Lennard Kamna - $280,000 - Stage Racer - Pot. 5
Flat
Mtn
Hill
TT
Sta
Res
Rec
Cob
Spr
Acc
Fgt
Dwn
Pro
68
68
66
71
69
68
68
62
63
66
70
69
71
The biggest signing came late on in the form of Lennard Kamna. The German is a sensational young talent, and some care must be taken to ensure that he develops correctly. His time trialing ability is already very evident, and so many believe if he focuses in it, he could eventually be one of the top men in the world on the TT bike. Others believe he'd make better use training as a stage racer. One thing is for sure - he has a bright future, and securing it came at a big price.
Alex Aranburu - $165,000 - Climber - Pot. 6
Flat
Mtn
Hill
TT
Sta
Res
Rec
Cob
Spr
Acc
Fgt
Dwn
Pro
68
72
72
62
68
76
70
57
68
67
57
65
62
Aranburu is another expensive signing, though he is farther along in his development than Kamna. He spent the previous season with Euskaltel before their relegation, and is already about halfway to his potential. His forte is climbing. Hills or mountains, it doesn't matter. He goes uphill and makes gaps. In doing so, he doesn't find time for the TT bike, but no matter. When an incline's in front of him, he's where he belongs.
Matteo Fabbro - $50,000 - Climber - Pot. 6
Flat
Mtn
Hill
TT
Sta
Res
Rec
Cob
Spr
Acc
Fgt
Dwn
Pro
65
76
73
67
70
71
72
50
61
71
72
70
70
The next new acquisition is barely a talent anymore. 24 year old Fabbro transferred from Festina, and is right on the cusp of reaching his maximum potential. Although his TT skills aren't as abad as Aranburu's, he's another pure climber, who will be a force in the mountains once maxed. And no doubt, he will be in his prime by next season, meaning that he will have a whole year in it to fight for U25 jerseys - an underrated points source.
Enzo Wouters - Sprinter - $10,000 - Pot. 4
Flat
Mtn
Hill
TT
Sta
Res
Rec
Cob
Spr
Acc
Fgt
Dwn
Pro
67
65
67
58
69
72
71
61
71
72
54
59
58
From our reports, Carlsberg management were very surprised to see Enzo Wouters not get a full time contract during transfers. Sure, on the surface he looks like your standard third tier sprinter, but that is not the case. While his sprinting is his main skill, he is a fantastic climber compared to his opponents, and will undoubtedly have an immense ability to ride long stage races later in his career. That will make him the perfect leadout man in the future. After being a stagiare at Delvaux this past season, he will now be a stag at Carlsberg as he tries to earn a full time contract for next year.
Joel Ponce - Stage Racer - $10,000 - Pot. 5
Flat
Mtn
Hill
TT
Sta
Res
Rec
Cob
Spr
Acc
Fgt
Dwn
Pro
66
66
68
67
65
68
69
64
62
66
68
68
67
The last addition to the fold as a stagiare was the Andorran, Joel Ponce. It's surprising he goes here rather than Andorra Project, but he is here nonetheless. He certainly is not a standout talent, so it makes sense, but he has potential to be the perfect stage race domestique - well rounded in mountains, hills, and TT's. A mini Warbasse, if you will.
Below is a image that displays our scouting reports on all of Carlsberg's talents, including those who signed with the team in previous years. They are displayed with the maximum potential in each discipline that our scouts predict they will end up at. Of course, this is not a definitive report, as team management could go in a number of directions with these riders, or they could simply bust and never reach that potential.
Clearly, Carlsberg have a bright future ahead if they can stay afloat long enough to see it. If not, whoever signs these guys later out of FA will have some free development done for them.
Mr. Pickles
Sporting News
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy
After paying careful attention to our scouting reports and estimations of each rider on the Carlsberg team for this upcoming season, here is our account of the 2019 Carlsberg - Danske Bank roster.
On paper, the team certainly looks worst than last year. Frederik Nolf left the team amidst controversy, and was not replaced on the cobbles squad, which will now see Ramon Sinkeldam as Vanspeybrouck's primary lieutenant. The TT squad, although not great to begin with, was also decimated, losing Rasmus Quaade, Michael Faerk Christensen, and Mad Wurtz, who was here on loan last season. Going in, these sacrifices looked set to be replaced and indeed improved by a big stage racer, who would completely change the identity of the team. Instead, they settled for Larry Warbasse, who they only hope can at least match the 2018 point total of all those mentioned above.
Beyond these changes, the team structure remains remarkably similar to its previous form. The team continues to have riders for every terrain, but none able to score top points consistently on them. The new gearing introduced in the MGUCI's bike regulations will certainly hurt a guy like Juul-Jensen, who relies on his tremendous kick, and the sprints, while well covered by Kragh Andersen and Appollonio, could really go either way in terms of points - most probably down.
One thing Carlsberg have going for them are talents. While they had a bunch last year, none of them looked to be more than domestiques in the future. This year, some of their signings could be great superdomestiques, or even more in the case of guys like Lennard Kamna. However, the simple reality is that the utopian future of all these guys maxing and scoring with the team is not likely for Carlsberg. Even if they stay afloat, salary raises and terrain redundancy will like render some of these guys sold within the next few years. Worse still is the chance of relegation, which would almost require many of these talents to go elsewhere without compensation. Fans must have a very tenuous optimism with these prospects.
Do you think Carlsberg have enough in the tank this year to beat fate for the third straight year, and turn the corner going forward? Or will they be forced by relegation to abandon their future plans and start from the bottom once again? Let us know in the comments! We'll be sure to update you as the season develops.
Mr. Pickles
Sporting News
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy
cio93 wrote:
Well if you continue to misspell his name, I think it's even my constitutional duty to get (hopefully lvl3) Lenny away from that management!
Hey, here I was thinking all special characters were removed from the DB. But Lennard had other ideas!
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy
After 4 years of wearing the exact same jersey, Carlsberg have announced a new design to be used in the upcoming season.
Creator Bikex, who has worked with the team since its inception, has done a superb job with this design, keeping the basic colors and premise of previous iterations, while adding new flair and style. It's the perfect revamp for the new season!
In addition, Bikex has provided the team with a Latvian NC design, to be worn by Arturs Belevics in TT's this season, and hoping for many more to come!
Hopefully the design leads to more visibility and aggressiveness in the team this year. They will need to show it as much as possible to avoid relegation.
Mr. Pickles
Sporting News
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy
Reports have surfaced that there may be a contagion spreading through the squad of Carlsberg - Danske Bank: mononucleosis. Last month, several riders complained of feeling constantly lethargic with sporadic fevers and sore throats. By that time, it had already been silently making its way through the team. To date, 14 riders have been diagnosed with the virus, although they have all had varying degrees of symptoms.
While it's impossible to pinpoint exactly how the virus first spread, insiders note the passing around of champagne bottles following Niki Ostergaard's triumphant GP Herning win back in February. Symptoms first started appearing soon after the victory, and it's likely those first riders were already infected when the sharing occurred.
While the team would not disclose a full list of those affected due to confidentiality, riders such as Davide Appollonio, Marc Christian Garby, and Christopher Juul-Jensen are expected to be suffering, per insider reports. Such a diagnosis would explain their unusually poor performances, and perhaps their diminished mental capacities in making decisions on the road. One can simply take a look at a picture of Garby, above, cracking early into a race that suited him, to see the anguish in his face.
What doesn't make sense is why riders going through this would continue to race their scheduled races as normal instead of resting and recovering. For comment, we reached out to team manager baseballlover312. Since he refused to respond on camera and would only answer through email, some have speculated that he too is infected.
"Ultimately, each rider was allowed to decide for themselves when they could continue racing. The virus can linger for a while, and shutting them down for the year was not deemed necessary. At this point, so many of our riders have it that logistically we would need to withdraw the team from races if everyone decided to rest. Instead, most of the guys have decided to forge on. it hasn't been pretty as far as results go, but obviously I commend everyone who has persevered this much. They know they're fighting for their livelihoods, and they're doing everything they can even though it hurts. I hope that will help all of them in getting future upper division contracts."
As a majority of riders have now been affected, precautions are being taken to isolate those who remain healthy - primarily Pieter Vanspeybroeck and Larry Warbasse. Only time will tell if they have already been infected and are simply awaiting the inevitable, but team doctors hope they can keep those men as healthy as possible. The team will be relying entirely on them for the near future.
While this news helps to explain a phenomenon we already saw in front of us - terrible performance by Carlsberg riders - it can only be seen as a negative for future results as well. The team has fallen went into the relegation zone, and it seems unlikely they will be able to surge out any time soon. The writing is on the wall for the team's relegation battle, and maybe for the team as a whole. As we reported last year, Carlsberg and Danske Bank both have contract opt outs if the team relegates to CT. With such a relegation likely bringing the hemorrhaging of young talent and key faces, and the future looking bleak, it would not be surprising to see such a move made. If it does happen, the fate of the team is in jeopardy.
Stay tuned in for more updates on this developing story.
Mr. Pickles
Sporting News
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy
This season, like the last two, has been stressful and largely unsuccessful for Carlsberg. After Niki Ostergaard's heroic early season win in GP Herning, it has been all downhill. The season has been filled with illness and underperformance, and it sees the Danish team sitting in 23rd place in the PCT standings mid way through August. Relegation seems increasingly likely everyday.
After three years of struggling to get a foothold in PCT, has poor management finally caught up to Carlsberg? Well, in a few weeks the team will go through the final critical test: the 2019 Tour of America. The PCT GT will likely decide the team's fate, and they are putting all their faith in a good outcome.
In anticipation of the event, Carlsberg have released their lineup for the race, and it features leaders on multiple terrains, with some surprising and risky twists.
Lawrence
Warbasse
Leader
Marc Christian
Garby
Free Element
Asbjorn
Kragh Andersen
Sprinter
Andre
Steensen
Time Trialist
Matteo
Fabbro
Domestique
Jonas
Bjelkmark
Domestique
Tobias
Foss
Experience
Lennard
Kamna
Experience
The leader for the overall standings is Warbasse, and this probably surprises few people. The American transferred in for an absurd amount of money last season, but despite not matching that value, he has been the team's second best scorer. His versatility on mountains, hills, and TT's has made him a genuine stage racer, and he hopes to show that across three weeks. He previously finished 15th in 2017, so he'll definitely want to improve on that this time around.
The more surprising inclusion is Marc Christian Garby, the pure climber. Since his great season in the team's 2016 promotion campaign, he has never regained form, and this year has been his worst by far. While he has previously finished 8th overall in America, he has not shown the ability or consistency to compete in GC at all this year.
This makes his presence risky, and perhaps counterproductive. Garby is a better pure climber than Warbasse, but trails him in everything else. Having both of them on the team could potentially sabotage both their chances, particularly if Garby won't cooperate.
We spoke to team manager baseballlover312 about this conflict:
"We're certainly aware of the problems associated with bringing two potential leaders here. I've spoken with Marc and he understands that he will play an important role for us even if he does not end up as our GC guy. We're fighting for survival, so everyone has to buy in. It's been a long season, and this is our chance to turn it around a bit. In order to do it, we need both these guys lasting deep into the mountains. It would be great if they could both do a good GC. We think Larry has a better chance due to the TT kilometers, but we're open to anything. If it fails, we still have confidence that this risk was worth taking as opposed to having one of them using up race days anonymously finishing 35th somewhere else
The two top guns will have plenty of support in the mountains. Matteo Fabbro makes his GT debut here, and has had a nice first season with Carlsberg thanks to his aggressive riding. He will no doubt try to continue that, as well as help his leaders, and soak up some minor white jersey points. Bjelkmark will be the faithful mountain lieutenant. Youngsters Foss and Kamna will be of service as well.
That leaves the sprints, where once highly touted prospect Asbjorn Kragh Andersen will be leading the charge. The 27 year old has had a less than successful season to say the least. He'll be looking to turn that around here, especially in the opening week, which features a prologue and four flat stages. Once again, management defended his inclusion, saying that even a few results here would score more per race day than 18th somewhere else.
But AKA will not have much support here, and that is worrisome. The sprints have been chaotic this year, and leadouts have not been particularly important or successful. Still, sending a rider like AKA here without one seems to be dooming him to failure, and reports have surfaced that Kragh Andersen is not happy with the situation. bbl commented:
"We know AKA can be a successful sprinter. He's had a terrible year, no denying it. But he can be successful. The way race days lined up, we couldn't bring a leadout man here for him. We're not super concerned because he is experienced now, and leadout have not helped much this year. Nevertheless, we have Steensen here to make sure he's sheltered and in position in the final. We're counting on good performances.
The aforementioned Steensen completes the team in what will likely be his final year in their colors. Normally, he could be relied on for some time trialing proficiency, but he hasn't been up to snuff this year. Instead, he will hopefully function as AKA's main domestique and a road captain for the younger riders around him.
It's impossible to overestimate how critical this race is to Carlsberg's future. It's go big or go down. And they know it. Riders know it. Management know it. Staff know it. In a few weeks, we'll know the final outcome. Keep checking Sporting News for coverage going forward.
Mr. Pickles
Sporting News
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy
It has finally happened. After 3 years of struggles, the Carlsberg - Danske Bank squad has relegated to CT. No longer with Carlsberg be the top Danish team in town. Six years since their inception, they are back where they started.
It wasn't surprising for fans, but it was disappointing. Too many leaders underperformed this season, and they weren't stacked to begin with. A dreadful fall classics season sealed the deal. Pieter Vanspeybrouck and Larry Warbasse did their best to keep them in it, but continual failure from pretty much everyone else made it a futile endeavor.
We reached out to team manager baseballlover312 for comment, but we have received no response. It appears the team is in major flux, and has in turn shielded themselves from the public eye.
What the future holds for the team is unclear. Despite dramatic rumors each year of stagnation, both title sponsors have stuck with the team since 2014. But will they do so after the worst failure imaginable? Will the team even remain Danish as the market saturates and their budget declines?
We'll let you know as soon as we know. Keep checking in as the offseason begins for updates on the process.
Mr. Pickles
Sporting News
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy
Lennard Kamna - $280,000 - Stage Racer - Pot. 5
Alex Aranburu - $165,000 - Climber - Pot. 6
Matteo Fabbro - $50,000 - Climber - Pot. 6
Enzo Wouters - Sprinter - $10,000 - Pot. 4
Joel Ponce - Stage Racer - $10,000 - Pot. 5
Lawrence
Marc Christian
Jonas
Tobias
